Lab Members

Yuka Muto

Visiting Ph.D. student

Yuka's research focuses on the interaction between human activity and the environment within river basins. Her main research topic is the characteristics of the forestry situation such as systems and the scale of forestry operation in different regions, and how that affect the environment of river basins in Japan. She analyzes the relationship focusing mainly on the geological and topographical differences of river basins. She is also concerned with research topics such as the population trend around frequently flooded areas, and assessment of the impacts of both climate change and land use change to the water environment.

Yuka received her B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering from University of Tokyo, Japan, and is now a PhD student at the same department.

Sandra Lee

Visiting Scholar

Dr. Sandra Lee is an environmental planner with PhD from Tsinghua University and MSc from Wageningen University. She has conducted interdisciplinary research on sustainable management of water across Europe and Asia, notably in eastern China (e.g., water resource and environmental planning, costal lowland revitalization planning and design, rural-urban ecological planning, climate-resilient urban design, community participatory planning and design ).

Jungsub Yeom

Visiting Scholar

In 2004, Mr. Yeom started professional career as government officer in Ministry of Environment, South Korea. His tasks were nationwide policies on solid waste treatment, laws & regulations on water quality, energy R&D & ministry’s whole budgetary process, public relation via on-line, etc. He also worked at WHO Western Pacific Regional Office base in Manila, Philippines for 3 years covering regional environmental health issues such as climate change, air quality, asbestos, etc. Before joining the River lab, He had worked as one of directors in “Task Force for Investigation and Assessment for Natural Recovery for Four Major Rivers”, Ministry of Environment, South Korea for 1 year.

This year, Mr. Yeom will conduct research on river restoration practice in the US, including dam removal and visit sites of recent dam removals and other restoration projects. South Korea now faces tremendous challenges in determining the best way forward to restore its four major rivers impacts by dams, dikes, and massive dredging from 2009 to 2012(so called Four Rivers Project). In one year’s research, he will write a report summarizing key lessons learned from international experience applicable to the rivers in South Korea, and their implications for restoration impacted by the Four Rivers Project.

Ting Da

Visiting Scholar

Ting’s research involves the social functions and social connections of urban waterfronts. Specially, she is analyzing the social impacts of urban waterfront redevelopment projects in China.Her current research focuses on the social connectivity of urban waterfront parks along the Yangtze River. Ting is now teaching in school of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, as an associate professor. As an architect and urban planner, she has designed some waterfront and wetland parks in China. Ting got her M.E. of urban planning in Southeast University, China and Ph.D of Landscape Architecture in Beijing Forestry University, China.

Faisal Ashraf

Visiting Ph.D. Student

Faisal’s Research involves quantifying the impacts of changing climate and hydropower reservoir operations on river regimes. Specifically, he is analysing the impacts of increasing penetration of renewables (wind, solar, etc.) on sub-daily flow conditions of the major regulated rivers in the Nordic region. Faisal’s PhD project also includes hydraulic and fish habitat modelling for optimization of hydropower reservoir operations. He is also working with natural resources institute of Finland (LUKE) and Finnish Environmental institute (SYKE) on other research projects related to management of hydropower regulated watershed in Finland. He is Currently a PhD candidate at Water, Energy and Environmental Engineering Research Unit, University of Oulu, Finland. Faisal received his B.E in Civil Engineering from University of Kashmir, India and M.S. in Environmental Engineering from University of Oulu, Finland.

Mafe González

Master´s student

Mafe is a botanist with a strong interest in taxonomy, ecology and conservation of tropical forests. She has participated in several research projects organized by the Institute of Natural Sciences of the National University of Colombia, Alexander von Humboldt Research Institute, Amazonian Institute of Scientific Research (SINCHI) and Chingaza National Natural Park (Colombia). She participated in research internships at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) on participatory monitoring of endangered flora species, at Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (Paris) identifying the historical plant collections (Humboldt and Bonpland) of the Neotropics and at the Ulu Temburong National Park (Brunei) identifying tree species with the greatest food supply for Gibbons and Hornbills. In 2015 she completed a master's degree in Biology, and in the fall of 2019 she began the UC Berkeley Master of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning. In her master's degree, she hopes to learn new tools to strengthen conservation strategies in tropical ecosystems.

Will Pitkin

Master's Student

Will's research focuses on climate change adaptation, flood management policy, and financial incentives for responsible land use. He emphasizes big-picture thinking and expressing complex issues in simple ways. He seeks solutions that reduce flood risk, enhance habitat and water quality, and support outdoor recreation. Will has worked as a Lake Monitor on two lakes in Vermont and interned at an environmental law firm in Buenos Aires, a wind energy developer in Vermont, and a winery lab in Napa Valley. After receiving a BA in Environmental Analysis from Pomona College, he did a Fulbright Grant in Curitiba, Brazil and spent three years as a private investigator in San Francisco. He is a managing editor of the student-run journal of the UC Berkeley Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning.

Alev Bilginsoy

Master's Student

Alev is a Master's student interested in climate change adaptation methods for urban watersheds and riverfront communities. Previously, Alev worked for Coastal Watershed Council in Santa Cruz, designing and coordinating water quality monitoring and pollution prevention programs that address regulatory requirements while engaging youth and adults in science education. She has a B.S. in City and Metropolitan Planning and B.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Utah.

Tyler Nodine

Master's Student

A Master's Student in RiverLab, Tyler is interested in relationships between physical processes and ecological function at landscape and watershed scales. His current research focuses on the habitat impacts of dams in the Columbia basin to inform management alternatives for the Columbia River Treaty, a transboundary water agreement between the U.S. and Canada. Tyler’s interests encompass ecological restoration, floodplain connectivity, salmon ecology, remote sensing and spatial analysis. Tyler received a B.Sc. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from UC Santa Cruz and has worked in watershed restoration, invasive plant control, ornithology and fisheries. Before graduate school he worked for NOAA Fisheries in Seattle, WA assessing salmon habitat capacity and restoration potential in the Columbia River basin.

Contact Email: tnodine AT berkeley.edu

Spencer Lacy

Master's Student

Spencer is a master’s student in Berkeley’s environmental engineering department. With a river-centric upbringing, Spencer has been studying fluvial systems, river hydraulics, and hydrology since he could hold a paddle in his hands. His life revolves around the river; being in it, bringing it into people’s lives, protecting and restoring it, and making it accessible and enjoyable for all. Spencer’s research interests lie in the critique of modern river restoration and dam modifications methods, and evaluation of intended ecological benefits. Before coming to Berkeley, Spencer worked in Colorado as a design engineer and project manager designing whitewater parks, river waves, in-stream and bank restoration, dam modification, and greenways that connect communities to their river corridors. Spencer is also a passionate and accomplished whitewater athlete.

Jennifer Natali

Ph.D. Candidate

Jen's research explores interactions of sediment, water, and vegetation in montane meadows of California's Sierra Nevada. Through field observation, remote sensing and numerical models, she works to improve our understanding of the geomorphic and hydrologic processes that influence the ecological function of meadows. By understanding driving factors of ecosystem resilience, we can better prioritize restoration investments and apply techniques to sustain meadow ecosystems and understand their role as hydrologic refugia with climate shifts. Jen earned a B.A. from Smith College. After working as a software engineer for ten years, Jen sought an M.L.A. from UC Berkeley and now works toward a Ph.D. that will inform management of watershed, river and ecosystem functions.

Contact Email: jennifer.natali AT gmail.com

Sooyeon Yi

Ph.D. Candidate

Sooyeon Yi’s research is focused on the water-energy nexus in the Southwestern US and China. Specifically, she is looking at regional impacts of policies to manage groundwater and restrict State Water Project exports and energy implications of changes to groundwater, hydropower, and reservoir operations in Northern California that might result from reduced exports to Southern California. She is also conducting a comparative study of energy demands of long-distance water transfer projects in California, China, India and Spain, to shed light on environmental and economic conflicts surrounding these projects. She is working with the China Energy Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Sooyeon received her B.S. and M.S. in Hydrology from University of California, Davis.

Contact email: sooyeon AT berkeley.edu, sooyeon AT lbl.gov

Vicente Tinoco

Ph.D. Candidate

Vicente’s research addresses water infrastructure and environment: sustainable reservoir sediment management, flood management, and river restoration. His research is focused on strategic planning for sustainable sediment management in Andean River Basins in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, where several new dams are proposed or under construction, some in areas of high natural hazard and high sediment yield. During his professional experience, Vicente has conducted physical and mathematical models for evaluating river diversion structures, and developed a model for reservoir’s water management. He was lecturer at the Department of Civil Engineering, U Cuenca, from 2014 until 2016. Vicente received his BS in Civil Engineering at Universidad de Cuenca, Ecuador (2011), and his MSc. In Water Resources Engineering at KULeuven and VUB Universities in Belgium (2014). He was granted a VLIR Scholarship (2012), from the Flemish Government, for his Master studies, a SENESCYT Scholarship (2013), from the Ecuadorian Government, for conducting his Master thesis research, and a Fulbright Scholarship for his PhD studies. While earning his undergraduate degree, he served as Volunteer Firefighter in Cuenca, Ecuador for four years, and one year as Catechist.

Contact email: vicente.tinoco AT berkeley.edu

Celina Balderas Guzman

Ph.D. Candidate

Celina’s research interests focus on urban stormwater landscapes, particularly constructed wetlands. Stormwater pollutes thousands of miles of rivers and streams, along with lakes, bays, and estuaries. It also poses flooding risks. Because climate change is exacerbating the intensity of storms, greater volumes of stormwater are in our future. Celina’s research attempts to find solutions for urban stormwater by bringing together landscape design, planning, and environmental engineering. Previously, she led a two-year, funded research project at MIT that explored new forms of stormwater wetlands and ponds that merge hydrologic, ecologic, and urban functions. She has three degrees from MIT in architecture, urban planning, and urbanism.

Contact email: celina AT berkeley.edu

Anneliese Sytsma

Ph.D. Candidate

Anneliese’s research investigates patterns of altered hydrologic pathways across developed landscapes, and explores planning, policy, and design strategies to minimize the negative ecological impacts of these alterations. Through collaboration with a range of municipalities from different geographic and political settings, she seeks to understand and develop solutions for natural and institutional barriers to restoring watershed functions in human altered environments. Anneliese received an M.Sc. in environmental engineering from UC Berkeley in 2017 and a B.Sc. in civil/environmental engineering from Seattle University in 2012. Between degrees, she worked as a water resources engineer for an environmental consulting firm in Seattle.

News

Events

Our Riverlab events have been cancelled for Spring 2020 due to COVID-19. Note that our shortcourse, Geomorphic and Ecological Fundamentals for River and Stream Restoration, at Sagehen Creek Field Station is still ‘on’ for 17-21 August.